Are you feeling under pressure and overwhelmed? In a tailspin? Out of control? Are you experiencing worry, anxiety, fear? Are you weary, worn down, tired, exhausted, frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, hurting, suffering, sad, even depressed? Is your heart troubled? Are you in sorrow or despair? Are you having trouble getting things done?

From time to time we ALL feel like the pressure is just too much. It may surprise you, but Paul spent a LOT of his career feeling overwhelmed. Join us and renew your hope. Come learn or renew some skills that can help you not only cope, but overcome whatever circumstances are getting you down. It's going to be a great day!

Harper Collins just told us The Man in the Mirror will be available on Kindle during March for $1.99. That's something we've wanted for YEARS, so please let your friends know. Here's the link to amazon for convenience....

As men, we desperately want to be known for having what it takes. We also live in fear of being found out that we don't have what it takes. To understand why we're all so afraid to let our true selves be seen and known, we have to understand the power of shame. Shame is the fear of not having what it takes and it produces three things -- disconnection, cowardice and blame. But we weren't always like this and one day we won't be like this anymore. Join our guest speaker Zach Van Dyke. It's going to be a great day!

The difference between a biblical Christian and a cultural Christian is not that they think different thoughts when they see something they don't like.

The difference between a biblical Christian and a cultural Christian is that a biblical Christian doesn't say the first thing that comes to mind.

"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint" (Proverbs 17:27). "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). "He who answers before listening - that is his folly and shame" (Proverbs 18:13).

Whether it's dealing with sin, marriage or conflict, there's one sure way to mess up every time: insist on facing it by yourself. The Bible is full of stories of men who were tripped up when they tried to go it alone, and triumphed when they stuck with friends. Many men tend to isolate, and that tendency deepens when they face trouble--or are already in trouble. If you want to live the life of adventure and triumph God made you for, you gotta have friends. And it's not as hard as you think it is. Join Brett Clemmer today. It's going to be a great day!

Big Idea: Every man needs another man who can look him in the eye and tell when something’s wrong.

Why do some men just get a better result? We want to give God all glory and credit, of course. But the Holy Spirit usually does his best work when people know what they're doing--whether that's piloting a plane, performing surgery, programming a computer, repairing a stopped up drain, selling a car, or rebuilding a country. So what did Nehemiah know that gave him the ability to make his changes stick? And what specifically did he do that we can do too? Join us for this final session in the series, and leave feeling empowered to not only start, but also sustain, the changes that will rebuild your "country. It's going to be a great day!

Big Idea: Successful leaders, they have no illusion about what it takes for people to adopt change.

It gets pounded into our heads every day: "We are a divided nation." Even if that's not as true as some would have us believe, it does seem to dominate public discourse. Where is Christianity in all this? What is our role? Short of another spiritual revival and awakening, can you see any other way out of this mess? Of course, only God can bring revival and awakening. But what can we do to hasten the day? Join us as we look at how Nehemiah turned his country into a tinderbox waiting for a match. There's so much in this lesson about the way forward. It's going to be a great day!

The Big Idea: only God can send revival, but we can hasten the day with humble repentant prayer.

A man from Africa wanted to know about a money question. A man from Alabama wanted to ask about a purpose and work issue. A man from Alaska wanted to know, "How can I make my marriage work?"

Whenever a man from another city contacts me with a problem, one of the first questions I ask is, “Are you part of a small group of guys doing life together? It could be in a couples group where guys occasionally meet off to themselves, or in a men only group?”

And the response is almost always the same, "Why do you ask?"

I ask because I’ve discovered that when men ARE part of group, these questions rarely make it to my desk.

In fact, I estimate that 90% of all men’s problems could easily be solved if men would regularly read their Bibles for themselves and do life together with a few other men in a small group.

You always knew this would be harder than it looked, right? And you always knew there would be surprises? But you were determined. And that has paid off. You identified and removed the bottleneck that was holding you back. Now what? Now you will want to get a quick win. Think how the momentum of a football game can shift with a quick drive that ends with a touchdown. It's not necessarily the end of the world if you don't get it, but what a huge boost if you do! Come see what getting "a quick win" did for Nehemiah, and the boost it gave his vision for rebuilding his country. Join us for the many lessons to be learned here! It's going to be a great day!

The Big Idea: Nothing can turn doubters into allies faster than getting a quick win.

Cloudless blue skies. 50 degree weather. Low humidity. A perfect day for hiking. I parked my truck on Highway 40 at the trailhead for the Florida National Scenic Trail.

I was slowly making progress, alone with my thoughts, wrapped in solitude. I was 4 miles into my 8.5 mile route when suddenly the loud thumping rotors of a helicopter shattered the quiet.

He passed right over, no more than 500 feet above. Actually, it was kind of exciting! I hiked another 2/10s of a mile, and then he buzzed me again. Now I'm wondering, "What in the world...?"

From my GPS I knew I was close to the clay road I had picked as the turnaround point for my out-and-back hike. As I emerged out of the woods onto the road, a white truck was blocking my path. "What in the world...?"

A former military man got out of the truck. So here was the deal. While I was quietly hiking along, a $14 billion aircraft carrier was cruising just off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. Top gun pilots and their crews had just completed all the pre-flight checks on each of their $60 million (each) F-18 fighter jets.

They were minutes away from scrambling their jets for the sub-10 minute sortie to the Pinecastle Bombing Range where they would be assisted by a full ground and radar crew to practice annihilating Middle Eastern terrorists by strafing a mocked up caravan with live bombs. It was a complex mission with many moving parts that had been months in the making. All taking placing to the immediate west of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

And then there was me. Merrily hiking along, alone, but not quite as alone as I thought, clueless about how intertwined I had become in a much bigger picture.

As the chopper hovered overhead, the nice man explained everything. He didn't seem upset that I had almost aborted what must have been $10,000,000+ training exercise. I gave the pilot a wave, and he peeled off. The man drove me back to my truck.

As he dropped me off I was able to present him a signed copy of The Man in Mirror. Wouldn't it be something if that book hit home with him?

Let's face it. We are never as alone as we think. We are always part of a bigger picture. As well informed as we may think we are, there's a lot more going on here than we will ever understand. Occasionally, like on my hike, we get a glimpse, but most of the time we'll never hear about. And God may use you for the greater purpose of his will in what seems like a random situation.

So how should we respond when it feels like we're all alone, maybe even forgotten? Remember this: God doesn't do "random." God isn't caught off guard by what's happening to you. He doesn't say, "Oops! I didn't see that coming." He knows exactly where you are on the trail. And he is sovereignly orchestrating all human events, even our seemingly random circumstances, to guide us to him and to each other. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:11, he "works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."